Sonic the Hedgehog
by A Pair of New Shoes
Summary: My version of the story of how it all started. The first game. The beginning where the Blue Blur and the Eggman first meet and fight.
1. How it all began

Notes: I noticed no one else had done this…I think

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or anything associated with him

Sonic the Hedgehog

Ch. 1: How it all began

* * *

In an area far out in the Pacific Ocean, there was a beautiful island known as South Island. Aside from the rare tourist, no one ever visited South Island. Very few knew about it at all or that it even had a name. It was constantly drifting across the ocean, which made it difficult to pinpoint. One day, that all changed. A mysterious man was surveying the island from a round hovercraft.

He was bald, but had a large brown-reddish mustache. Dark blue pince-nez glasses covered his eyes and goggles sat atop his bald head. He was a quite round, almost egg-shaped in fact, but his arms and legs were long and thin. He was 6ft. tall and wore a rather flamboyant outfit. His pants and boots were black, his coat was red trimmed with gold and white, and he wore a pair of white gloves. He was piloting his small, egg-shaped hovercraft around the entire island, appearing to be taking in the scenery. He remained quiet most of his trip, but at last he spoke aloud to himself.

"This island has beautiful scenery, exotic plant life, and diverse wildlife. It could almost be paradise…and once I'm done with it, it will be."

With that, he flew his hovercraft back to the shoreline. A group of humanoid egg-shaped robots were standing in formation, as if awaiting orders.

"I have found the perfect spot for my base and all the necessary equipment is here" the man said, "You have the coordinates now. So begin construction immediately!"

"Yes, sir," the robots replied in unison as they marched off carrying said equipment.

"And don't forget which piece of the base I said to set up first! This blasted island is in the middle of nowhere. I had to make who knows how many trips to acquire the parts I needed to begin preparations. No matter. My machines shall construct my base in no time, and until then…I'm going to test my new invention that should alleviate the problem of limited manpower."

The man had a quick look around. He spotted a small bluebird flying around. Suddenly out of his mobile, a huge metal claw shot out and grasped the bird.

"Come along with me."

He took off to his soon-to-be base. Once there, a large machine, almost like a small assembly line, had been completed rather quickly. The man threw the bird into one end.

"It won't hurt a bit…maybe."

He started pressing several dozen buttons, which caused the machine to power up. After a few minutes of noise, it shot out another robot. This one wasn't an egg-shaped humanoid one like the others.

It looked rather like a ladybug. It was round with a red body and a blue face. It moved using one large wheel and a motor on the back. Its sole means of attacking seemed to be two long, yellow pincers near its head.

"Oh, yes! It worked perfectly, as the things I build always do. This is just the first of many for my new army of machines. I have successfully taken an animal and turned it into a living battery. I shall dub this model Motobug. Troops, I want a small group to bring me every animal you can find! And don't forget why we came here in the first place. Keep a sharp optic out for them."

"Yes, sir."

The man had already grabbed another bluebird and thrown it into the machine. This time the robot that came out looked like a wasp. It was blue and black with both wings and engines. Its stinger was actually a blaster.

"I'll call this one Buzz Bomber. What's taking them so long?"

"We are still spanning the island, Doctor, but we have several animals already."

"Well, throw them in! What about your other mission?"

"Still no luck, Doctor."

Dozens of small animals were inserted into the machine. Bluebirds, rabbits, squirrels, seals, pigs, penguins, and chickens were all being used as living batteries for the doctor's machine army.

"I'll focus on this tropical area first. Then I'll move on to the other nearby areas of the island."

More and more robots came out of the machine. One looked like a large red crab. Another looked like a green chameleon. Still another looked like a large red piranha.

"Yes, yes, all these will patrol this beach area. I shall call this first one Crabmeat. The second shall be Newtron. The last will be Chopper. Go forth, my new creations, and make sure no one gets onto this island."

His ever increasing army set off on patrol.

"Of course, even if anyone did get onto this island, there would be nothing they could do to stop me. Oh ho ho ho ho ho!"

Meanwhile, far out at sea, a blue blur was racing towards the island. They were going so fast they raced across the surface of the ocean. Until finally they touched ground on the beach. It was a hedgehog.

A blue, anthropomorphic hedgehog no less. He was only about 3-4 ft. tall, and he only wore white gloves and red shoes with a white vertical stripe down the middle of each one.

"Hmm, where are all the animals?" the hedgehog said to himself.

Deeper into the island, the doctor was alerted to the hedgehog's presence.

"What do you mean someone's on the island? Have those blasted machines deal with them!"

Back on the beach, the hedgehog was confronted by a single Motobug.

"What's a robot like that doing here?"

The Motobug wheeled over and took a swipe at the hedgehog.

"OK, you wanna play rough?"

The hedgehog curled his body into a ball and began to spin. He then sped off towards the Motobug. At the last moment, he jumped up and, still spinning, smashed the robot. It fell into a broken heap.

"That'll teach you to mess with—what the…?"

Out of the robot's wreckage, a small rabbit leapt out completely unharmed.

"How did you get inside a robot?"

The rabbit ran off as a shadow hovered overhead. It was the doctor, who came to see for himself who the intruder was. He was less then pleased.

"You destroyed one of my robots, you horrid hedgehog! Just who do you think you are?"

Said hedgehog looked up to see the doctor in his hovercraft.

"Who am I? I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. Who are you?"

"Who am I?"

"That's what I said."

"I am Dr. Ivo Robotnik. The greatest scientific genius of all time!"

"You look like an egg to me."

"You little…is that any way to talk to the genius who shall take over this island?"

"Just you try and do that, Eggman. I'll stop you and free my friends from your badniks."

"Badniks? Eggman? If you think you can beat me, make your way through the island to my stronghold. If you even make it that far, I'll be waiting. Until then, have fun with my machines."

Robotnik took off as dozens of Buzz Bombers swarmed towards Sonic. Sonic didn't look worried. He stretched his legs as the robots flew ever closer.

Then he smirked and said, "Time to have some fun."


	2. Running through Green Hill

Notes: the most memorable level in all Sonic history

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog

Ch. 2: Green Hill

* * *

In a flash, every Buzz Bomber was destroyed and the bluebirds inside set free. Sonic brushed himself off and looked off into the distance. He could just barely make out Robotnik's fortress.

"What a nice, scenic spot he picked for his fortress. Oh well, it may be far, but the journey is the best part. So to take the first step, looks like I gotta clear out good old Green Hill of these annoying robots."

Green Hill looked exactly like it sounded. Rolling hills of green grass stretched as far as the eye could see, with large flowers dotting the landscape. Palm trees were abundant at well. As he ran through the area, he destroyed every robot he came across so as to free all his friends.

"Who does that guy think he is, trapping my friends in these stupid Badniks?"

As he rushed past the waterfalls he destroyed several of the piranha-like Choppers.

"This is easy, but why would a guy like that even come to this island anyway? Unless…"

The chameleon-like Newtron appeared out of nowhere to fire at him. He easily dodged and retaliated. Another Newtron sped at him like a missile; he simply jumped over and onto the Badnik. He tried to regain his train of thought.

"Hey…I'll bet he knows about the legend of the Chaos Emeralds. What else could it be?"

Sonic went faster as he smashed one Crabmeat after another. He also took care to avoid the spikes that dotted the area, and bounce on the springs that were likewise in the general area. What spikes and springs were doing there, he never knew, or really even bothered to wonder.

"I've heard those things have unlimited power. So obviously I've gotta find them before Eggman does, but how?"

The entire time he'd been running, Sonic had rather absentmindedly been grabbing the gold power rings that seemed to be absolutely abundant throughout the island. Through trial and error he learned they provided extra protection, so picking them up was like a reflex. He lost count as to how many he'd collected. Sonic finally stopped when he came to a clearing where a metal signpost stood.

"That wasn't there before."

He walked up to it to see an image of the mad doctor with a smug grin, as if he was declaring Green Hill his turf now. Sonic gave his own cocky grin as he spun the post around like a top. He destroyed a nearby Motobug and used its claw to draw a picture on the other side of the signpost. It was, of course, a picture of himself, holding up his fingers in the victory sign.

"Well, that's that."

Suddenly, there was a flash of light. Floating above Sonic was the largest ring he'd ever seen. He wasn't sure why, but something told him he should jump through the ring. As he did, there was another flash.

**Special**

"Whoa! Where am I?"

Sonic was in a strange new place. It was rather confining, so he stayed rolled up in a ball.

"This place is way too bright and colorful. Hey, I see something shiny, well shinier than everything else, over there."

Sonic managed to maneuver himself through this strange place, bouncing off the sides of the walls and through small gems. At last he reached the center where he found a green jewel.

"It can't be…" he started to say as he reached out to grab it.

The second he did there was another flash of blinding light. He was back in Green Hill.

"This is one of the Chaos Emeralds. I can't believe after all this time I found one. But hey, better me than Eggman. Now I can keep it safe for sure, but how did I get to that weird dimension place anyway?"

He looked around for that giant ring. It was gone.

"That giant ring must have warped me there, but why did it appear now? Hey, it must be connected to the regular small rings I always collect. I had at least 50 on hand when I got to that signpost. Cool, now that's settled, I'll just keep this emerald on my person like I do all those rings…however it is I actually do that, but let's not delve too deep into it."

Sonic began to run again when a familiar figure was seen appearing in the distance.

"Still alive are you, hedgehog?" taunted the doctor in his Eggmobile.

"Your badniks are a joke, Eggman."

"I told you, it's Doctor Robotnik! I can't believe how many of my minions you destroyed. If you want something done, do it yourself."

"What're you gonna do, talk me to death?"

A large wrecking ball on a chain was lowered from the Eggmobile. It began swinging back and forth in a wide arc.

"Why not hold still and end this now?" Robotnik said with a laugh.

Sonic managed to dodge the ball, but was tired of being on the defensive.

He was thinking to himself, _"Gotta think of a way to…hey, there's a couple of those floating platforms over there. I'll just lure Eggman over so I can reach his mobile."_

He dashed under the swinging ball and taunted, "Over here, Eggman!"

The doctor took the bait and followed suite. Sonic leapt atop a platform, and as soon as Robotnik got close, he spin jumped into the Eggmobile.

"How dare you? Stand still so I can crush you!"

"Yeah, that'll happen."

Sonic repeated his strategy a few more times and Robotnik's mobile was looking trashed.

"Alright, that's it," Robotnik said, "Get a load of this!"

His mobile did a flip, causing the ball and chain to swing faster. He slammed the ball onto the platform Sonic was standing on, sending Sonic tumbling to the ground.

"Glad to see some variety, Eggman," Sonic said as he picked himself up.

He quickly avoided any more hits from the ever faster spinning ball, jumped back onto a platform, and struck Robotnik's mobile at full speed. The ball and chain broke off and fell into the nearby lake.

"You got off easy this time, hedgehog, but this is only the beginning."

With that he took off to the nearby area. Sonic gave chase, while whispering to himself, "Yeah, you ain't kidding."


	3. Look at the Marble

Notes: And away we go

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog (the character or the game, etc.)

Sonic the Hedgehog

Ch. 3: Marble

* * *

Sonic made sure to free more of his friends from a large capsule Eggman left behind before taking off. Then ran on until he came upon some ancient ruins. The area still had hills, but they were much more sparse. Some of the "hills" were moving up and down.

"That doesn't seem normal. But still, look at that. Some ancient ruins from...something or other, but darn it if they don't look awesome. These pillars are made of marble. That's as good a name for this area as any: Marble"

As he took out a familiar Badnik, Buzz Bomber, he ran into a new Badnik. A spike-covered caterpillar called Caterkiller. He realized that jumping on spikes was ill advised, so he rolled into the worm's head. That did the trick, and a seal emerged from the robot's shell. Sonic then noticed that these hills were moving up and down due to the lava beneath them. He avoided any gaps in the land, as well as fireballs erupting from said lava.

As the land sloped down, the scenery changed to an underground ruin. Torches adorned the walls, and there were more marble pillars. As he kept going he saw large marble pillars that acted like pistons, moving up and down, ready to crush anyone careless. Spikes popped out of the ground and quickly disappeared into it again. To add to the fun, a new type of Badnik showed itself. It was called Bat Brain, and obviously looked like a bat. A trio of them flew at Sonic. He easily smashed them, and squirrels leapt out of the rubbish and ran for it. Sonic even found a capsule containing an energy shield.

"This'll come in handy. I miss Green Hill already. This place is nuts."

His path was now blocked by a large metal platform connected to a chain. There was a button next to it.

"Obviously this button controls that platform. And what a coincidence, a large, square piece of marble to move into place to keep on the button. This place sure pretty, but man is it slow."

He pushed the square onto the button and the platform rose. He then saw that it wasn't just an ordinary platform, but that the bottom of it was covered with long spikes.

"That would hurt."

Sonic kept going and saw a pool of lava.

"Well this is a bit of a setback."

Just then, some of the marble pieces fell into the lava.

"Well look at that, platforms."

He hopped across and saw a weight attached to the chained platform with the spikes on the bottom. He patiently waited for a safe spot. More lava and platforms awaited deeper in the cavern. He even used a marble square to get across a lava pool, which somehow worked despite the lava shooting up like a waterspout.

"This place is really weird."

He was dodging fireballs and spikes that shot out of random walls, breaking down other walls, and at one point Sonic even had to outrun a wall of lava. Admittedly it was pretty easy.

"I didn't think you could outrun lava."

Sonic was grateful to see some greenery at last, having emerged from the cave. He found another signpost with the doctor's mug on it. He found a Caterkiller, destroyed it, and used its head to do a similar act of triumph as in the previous area: carving his likeness on the back of the signpost.

"This place is looking better already."

Then another giant ring appeared. Sonic knew what to do, so he quickly jumped at it.

**Special**

"Well this looks familiar. It's still rotating. It's still overly colorful. It's still cramped."

But as before, he made his way through the bright-colored maze and found another Chaos Emerald. This one wasn't green like the first, but yellow.

"So even though they're called emeralds, they come in colors besides green...I guess that makes for good variety."

Just as Sonic was about to jump over what seemed to be the last pool of lava (and thankfully a small one), who should turn up but the good doctor.

"So you've made it this far, have you? Well I've outfitted my Eggmobile with something fun. Been enjoying the fire and lava I trust?"

"No."

"Well then you'll have the same feelings for this."

Robotnik flew his mobile directly over the platform Sonic stood on. There was something resembling a pipe attached beneath his mobile. A glow was now coming from the pipe.

"Normally I'd be enticed by glowing objects, but in this case..."

He quickly leapt over the lava pool and onto the opposite platform just as a fireball shot out of the mobile's pipe. The entire platform was soon covered in fire, but it burnt out rather quickly.

"Didn't see that coming did you?" Robotnik taunted.

Suddenly his Eggmobile gave a sharp lurch as if from an impact. It was of course Sonic retaliating by leaping into a ball and smacking the mobile as he had previously.

"You shoulda seen that coming, Eggman."

The doctor, appropriately enough for the setting of the fight, lost his cool and kept alternately shooting fireballs at the two platforms. Sonic saw a pattern in this however and easily leapt from one platform to the next, avoiding both the lava and the fire, and all the while giving the Eggmobile a good smack every time. Finally the machine could take no more punishment. The pipe broke off and smoke started to spew from the mobile.

"Great, now I have to repair this thing again. You're lucky it still has enough power to get me back to my base. You know, I almost wish you would make it to my lair. If you're going to fail, it might as well be where I can see you. Hasta la bye bye, hedgehog!

As the doctor took off into the distance, Sonic decided to take a quick nap.

"I've been on the go all day. I just need a brief time out."

He first however, released more critters from yet another capsule that was just lying around.

"Boy, the doc's careless with the placement of these things."

He then found a secluded spot and leaned back to rest.


	4. Bouncing around Spring Yard

Notes: no pun intended but...let's roll

Disclaimer: I've never owned the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic the Hedgehog

Ch. 4: Bouncing around Spring Yard

* * *

Sonic awoke to find it was close to sunset. He got up and stretched.

"That's makes me feel better. Now let's keep moving."

He came to the next area. It was very bright. There were many neon lights. Just then a swarm of Buzz Bombers and a pair of Crabmeats came at him.

"A welcoming party? You shouldn't have."

In a flash, the Badniks were no more, and little chickens and pigs ran off in their place.

"Well that was fun," Sonic said as he continued, "Now what is this place - WHOA!"

He wasn't paying attention and the ground abruptly sloped down. He instinctively curled up into a ball and was launched into the air, only to collide with several bumpers.

"Now I know what a pinball feels like."

There were also a lot of platforms constantly moving up and down.

"I kind of remember this place. Not sure what it's for though. I think I'll call it Spring Yard. Yeah, that sounds catchy."

Suddenly, a blue blur shot past him.

"Did I just go so fast I passed myself?"

The blur stopped to reveal an armadillo Badnik called Roller. It was promptly destroyed.

"We only need one speedy blue creature around here, thanks."

Sonic had had enough of being bumped and hit by miscellaneous obstacles and so quickened his pace, but always being careful to avoid any surprise spikes. At one point he seemed to be stuck between a floor of springs and a row of bumpers. He also had to spin in order to dispatch of a hermit crab Badnik with a spike-covered shell fittingly named Spikes. At last he came to a clearing, repeating his previous actions of tearing down the sign bearing the doctor's face in place of one bearing his own portrait. Again, just as before, there was the giant floating ring.

"Where do these things come from?"

**Special**

"These pocket dimension things look awfully similar. Oh well, one more emerald out of Eggman's clutches."

This emerald was blue in color. And in a flash, it was like Sonic never left his spot. Sonic walked on a bit until he noticed something was off.

"What's up with the floor here?"

"Let me volunteer to demonstrate, hedgehog!"

Dr. Robotnik returned yet again with another modification to his Eggmobile. It was now outfitted with a large spike on the bottom. He hovered over the floor briefly, and then swiftly descended to the floor, ramming the spike into the ground. As he ascended, the 'ground' went with him. A large square-shaped piece of the floor was attached to the spike.

"If you stand still it might not hurt as much when I drop this one you, Sonic."

"I won't give you the chance, Eggman."

Before the doctor got too high, Sonic curled up and smacked the mobile, which caused the piece of floor to break apart.

"Oh no, not that! HA! You foolish hedgehog, I'll just keep destroying pieces of the floor until you have nowhere to go but down."

"If that's your plan, you'll have to be faster than that, doc."

Every time Robotnik attempted his strategy, Sonic quickly rammed into the mobile. Finally, the machine couldn't take any more of a beating. Smoke started to shoot out, and the spike promptly fell off.

"I…I was going easy on you. I really do want you to make it to my base. That is if you make it through the next area. I have a feeling you won't like it."

Dr. Robotnik took off, laughing his overdramatic laugh as he disappeared.

"I wonder what he meant by that?"

Sonic put it out of his mind as he broke open the animal capsule and kept going. That's when he noticed the path went down into a cave. As he went deeper inside, he saw a sight that didn't make him happy one bit.

"Oh no, not that…"


	5. Descent into Labyrinth

Notes: we're getting there

Disclaimer: I've never owned the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic the Hedgehog

Ch. 5: Descent into Labyrinth

* * *

"…Anything but water."

Sonic never learned how to swim. When you can run across water, it didn't seem necessary. It wasn't a fear of water; he merely saw it as an inconvenience. Besides, he'd brave an underground cavern full of water or anything else to save his friends. He looked around, taking in the scenery. Crystals hung from the ceiling, and all around were strange markings, as though this too had once been some place special, but now simply more ancient ruins. Seeing no other way around the water, he simply closed his eyes, and jumped in. He felt his feet touch the bottom. He opened his eyes in relief. It seemed the ruins extended all over the cavern as the ground was hard and solid. Still, the sooner he got out of the water the better. He maneuvered past a spike ball swinging on a chain, but something burst forth from the ground. It was another Badnik; this one had treads for feet and a drill for a nose. It was called Burrobot. Several popped out of the ground, one after another, only for Sonic to neatly destroy them all in a row. Small seals and penguins emerged from what was left over. As Sonic went deeper into the Labyrinth, the water also got deeper. Piranha looking Badniks called Jaws patrolled back and forth using their propeller tails. Sonic dispatched them easily as they were quite slow. He also encountered orb-shaped Badniks who surrounded themselves with four levitating spike balls, they were called Orbinaut. Even underwater, Sonic had to avoid spikes. There were also random buttons that he had to press to move certain piece of the ruins.

"It's strange that they'd have buttons for this stuff. Oh well, best not to think about it."

At one point, Sonic took a floating platform to avoid the water.

"Well I guess you don't always need to take the wet way to get outta here."

Just as Sonic said that however, the ground seemed to drop beneath him. It was a water slide.

"Me and my big mouth!"

It soon deposited him back into the water. He was then sucked into a tunnel full of the wet stuff. Being in an enclosed space was one thing, but one filled with water was too much. Luckily, it didn't last long. He grabbed an air bubble and kept moving. He also grabbed an energy shield just to be safe. The ruins seemed to go from open to closed alternately as he ventured deeper. He now encountered statue heads that shot fire balls and spears continuously jutting in and out of the ruins. He managed to breeze past them with a handy invincibility power up.

"So many sparkles from this thing."

After a quick ride up a pulley system, Sonic was at last nearing the end of the Labyrinth.

"And what do you know? Another giant ring just waiting for me."

**Special stage**

"Same old stuff. Nothing new here. Although being forced to curl up like that is kind of a pain."

This next emerald was purple. That made four Chaos Emeralds total.

"I sure hope Eggman hasn't been able to get his hands on any of these."

Sonic did a quick look around.

"Hey, where is the mad doctor anyway?"

Sonic put it out of his head as he continued through the Labyrinth, hoping the way out was up ahead. The ruins appeared to be going up, so perhaps he was nearing the exit. After destroying more Badniks and pushing aside some vines hanging from the ceiling, who should appear but…?

"Well well, so you made it through after all, hedgehog. I heard you didn't like water."

"It's true I don't, but I hate you more than any amount of water, Eggman."

"Tell you what, Sonic; since I've already put you through such an ordeal, I'm just going to leave you to it. Good luck trying to find your way out."

He then zoomed off in his Eggmobile. Sonic decided to follow him of course.

"If anyone knows the way out, it's this jerk."

Sonic jumped from platform to platform until he managed to reach the Eggmobile and gave it a good whack.

"Hey! Knock it off, hedgehog. You should be glad I'm in a hurry. In case you haven't noticed, the water is rising."

He then picked up speed in his mobile, but Sonic followed suite. He had to do a lot of jumping, but he managed to avoid getting his feet wet again. Even better, he also gave Robotnik's mobile a few good hits.

"You win this round, hedgehog, but the worst is yet to come!"

With that, he sped away. Sonic, meanwhile, broke open another container full of his animal friends. He then went on in the direction he saw Robotnik rush off into. Turns out it was indeed an exit.

"I don't care what's up next. Just so long as it's dry."


	6. In Awe of Star Light

Notes: Been busy, but here we are

Disclaimer: I never have and never will own the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic the Hedgehog

Ch. 6: In awe of Star Light

* * *

"I guess I was down there for so long that it's the middle of the night."

Sonic emerged from the Labyrinth and stretched. It was nice to be in an open area again. There were a lot of stars out tonight.

"There are a lot of stars out tonight, but that can't be why it seems so bright out here."

Sonic walked on a bit further, thankful to stretch his legs, when he saw the source of the lights. It was a city. It was a rather large city, and it seemed to still be under construction. There were traffic cones strewn about. There were also plenty of lampposts, and fans for some reason.

"This place is big, but doesn't seem as big as to be giving off so much light."

He turned to look into the distance and noticed this was just one part of the city. There was so much more stretched out for what seemed like miles.

"They have been really busy here. Yet even with all the lights from the city, you can still see the stars. Heck, with all those lights, you'd think the city was covered in stars. Say, that'd be a good name for this area: Star Light. How do I come up with these?"

Sonic was snapped out of his thoughts by another of Robotnik's Badniks. It was a small, red bomb with a pair of tiny legs creatively named Bomb. It was walking right towards Sonic with its fuse igniting. He quickly jumped over the Bomb as it went off, only to find another Bomb in front of him, and another behind that one.

"Well, I needed to do some more running, I guess."

Sonic jumped and avoided dozens of Bomb Badniks. He then suddenly slid under another Badnik. It was another Orbinaut, albeit with a different color scheme.

"You look familiar. Here, have a present."

Sonic placed a Bomb underneath the Orbinaut. A quick explosion later and another animal was free. As he continued to run through the city, he passed by more fans. They seemed to give him a speed boost. He also had to duck to avoid a huge spike ball on a chain. There were also holes that shot fireballs, and a lot of moving platforms.

"Let's take a ride," Sonic said, as he jumped from platform to platform.

He soon came to yet another giant ring.

**Special**

"What a pain, but the next emerald color is…cyan. Perfect way to end the day."

At last, he seemed to reach the city limits, but of course, he wasn't quite done.

"So we meet again, hedgehog!"

"I was having a nice time until you showed up, Eggman."

"That's _Doctor_ Eggman…I mean, Robotnik! Whatever! I have some gifts for you. I hope you like heavy spike balls. Because I have plenty."

"Well that's a strange thing to carry around."

The doctor released an aforementioned spike ball from his Eggmobile, but Sonic merely stepped aside and let it hit the ground.

"What, is that it?"

Then Sonic noticed the spike ball was flashing red.

"Uh-oh."

He sped off as it exploded. He took a quick look around as Robotnik tailed him. He then noticed several seesaw looking contraptions. What they were for was anyone's guess.

"_But they give me an idea," _he thought to himself.

He stood on one end of the device.

"Hey, Eggman, think you can hit the target?"

"Take this!"

Sonic quickly jumped out of the way as the spike ball landed. He then jumped on the other end of the "seesaw" and sent the spike ball flying into the doctor's mobile.

"How clever, hedgehog, but you can't use the same trick twice."

"Maybe you're right."

This time, Sonic waited for Robotnik to drop another spike ball, but instead of jumping of the "seesaw", he moved to the other end. So as the spike ball landed on its end of the "seesaw", Sonic was catapulted into the air. He curled up into a ball and collided with the Eggmobile.

"You little…now I'm mad!"

Robotnik began dropping spike balls like crazy. Sonic had to keep moving or risk getting hit. He of course used this to his advantage by running past the "seesaws". Robotnik was providing Sonic with plenty of ammo. Once he saw all the "seesaws" were loaded, he promptly turned around and jumped on every "seesaw", launching every spike ball on its respective end back at the Eggmobile. That was too much for the mobile to handle.

"So you win the battle again, Sonic, but the war is just beginning. And this time, I have home field advantage. Oh ho ho ho ho ho!"

The doctor sped off, Sonic freed his animal friends, all like before, but Sonic was puzzled.

"I wonder what Eggman meant by that? Oh well. Looks like I've reached the city outskirts."

That's when Sonic noticed a cloud of smoke emerging over the horizon. He sped to the top of a hill, and that's when he saw it.

"Oh boy."

It was big. It was cold. It was Dr. Robotnik's brand new fortress.


	7. A Load of Scrap Brain

Notes: I love 'Industrial' themed levels

Disclaimer: I do not own the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic the Hedgehog

Ch. 7: A load of Scrap Brain

* * *

The large fortress loomed ahead of Sonic. If the doctor built it, he knew there would be plenty of traps and not a lot of room to run.

"But no sense beating around the bush. Time to bring this place down!"

With that said, Sonic rushed inside. The first thing he saw was another Caterkiller, and the Badnik promptly took a spin dash to the face.

"Well that was easy – Oh geez!"

The floor ahead of him suddenly disappeared.

"I can just jump it."

As he did, the floor then returned to normal.

"Oh, a trap door. Well I'll keep my eyes open for those – Whoa!"

A stream of fire shot up from a pipe.

"I'll watch out for those too."

Sonic jumped onto a platform, only for it to spin around, causing him to fall. He timed his next jump, and proceeded. He saw a different platform, but as soon as he jumped onto it, it disappeared completely. He stared in confusion, and then the platform reappeared in a few seconds.

"I can see I can't trust anything in this stupid factory."

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho! That's right, you fool! This is my domain!"

"Do I hear the dulcet tones of my old pal Eggman?"

"I built this place, so naturally I have eyes and ears everywhere."

"Not to mention a big mouth."

"Joke all you like, Hedgehog, it won't help you. This factory is a testament to my superior brain!"

"Yeah, a load of Scrap Brain."

"Scrap! How dare you?! Everything here is brand new! You're the one who's about to become scrap. I've made sure to make everything as hard as possible for you. You do enjoy a challenge, don't you?"

"That's right, I do, but I've been meaning to have a face to face talk with you again."

"Good luck, Hedgehog."

Sonic jumped up towards a ramp, only to dodge an incoming ball. It was a pig Badnik called Ball Hog. It stood atop the ramp, jumping in place, and chucking multiple balls at Sonic. It was swiftly dealt with. He then came across a strange spinning wheel. He jumped on top of it, and he was spinning with it.

"Now this is weird – Not again!"

He quickly jumped away as a huge spiked ball on a long chain swung in his direction. He nearly tripped as he found himself on a conveyor belt that was propelling him forward.

"I guess I can relax for this – Oh, I shoulda kept my mouth shut."

Unfortunately for Sonic, more ball and chains were swinging past the conveyor belt. The good news was he was off the conveyor belt, the bad news was there was another conveyor belt just ahead. On this one he had to dodge large weights that kept moving up and down. Once past that, he had to avoid several electric currents that lined the ceiling and floor. Still another conveyor belt lay ahead. This one had enormous saw blades as obstacles. As soon as he got off, another saw blade came up through the floor.

"This guy really went nuts with the traps."

After avoiding more Bomb Badniks, he took a small elevator to a higher spot.

"Well that wasn't so bad," Sonic said to himself, despite trying to catch his breath.

He looked ahead to see a giant ring.

"Just what I need," he said, with a mix of relief and sarcasm.

**Special**

"With this red Chaos Emerald, that makes six total…I coulda sworn there were seven in the legend. Still, better me than Eggman."

Just then he bumped into a barrier.

"What the heck is this?"

"I thought I'd come down and give you a personal send off."

"Eggman? What a pleasant surprise. What's with the big button? Seems a poor design choice."

"Usually, yes, but not in this case."

Dr. Robotnik jumped on the large button, and then the floor beneath Sonic crumbled.

"Hope you enjoy the real surprise, Hedgehog!"

**Still inside the base**

Sonic landed in an underground area. It looked very familiar.

"Don't tell me I'm back in the Labyrinth."

It did indeed look like the Labyrinth, except the walls were a pale grey, and the 'water' was purple. Some things were the same: the small spiked ball and chains, the moving spikes, the Burrobot Badniks, the statue heads shooting fireballs, basically all the comforts.

"Yes and no, Hedgehog. The Labyrinth, as you call it, extends much farther than the area you went through to get here. I built my base atop it so as to continue searching for the legendary Chaos Emeralds. Just one is enough to power everything, but all seven are required to truly make an impact."

Sonic was busy making his way through the traps and getting air bubbles while the doctor gave his monologue, but the mention of the Chaos Emeralds made him move a bit faster to the surface.

"Wait, are you saying you found one?"

"He he he he he! It does make everything go much smoother."

"So you got lucky and found one, you'll never find the other six."

"I know you either have them or know where they are. I'll get it out of you, one way or another!"

"Oh please, I'm more worried about this purple water than of anything you throw at me, Eggman."

"We'll see how long that lasts. Since you haven't drowned yet, I'm assuming you've made it through. I'll be waiting…"

It got eerily quiet as Sonic walked up to a lone spring.

"No turning back."

Up he shot, to the final showdown.


	8. Is this really Final?

Notes: The end of one story/game, the start of another

Disclaimer: I've never owned the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise

Sonic the Hedgehog

Ch. 8: Is this really Final?

* * *

Sonic found himself on the other side of the energy barrier he ran into earlier. But the doctor was nowhere to be found.

"Come out, Eggman, and take what's coming to you."

Sonic walked into the next room, and the door slammed shut behind him.

There was a red light on the far side of the room, and there were four spots in the room, two on the floor, and two on the ceiling, that seemed off color or something.

"What is this place?"

"This is the Final Zone for you, Sonic! You can't escape unless to destroy my machine, and I intend to kill you first."

"What machine?"

Suddenly, a part of the floor and ceiling moved. He had to quickly dodge, because they were giant pistons. Big enough to crush him if he got careless. One piston was hollow inside, the other had Dr. Robotnik inside, with a smug smirk on his face.

"Darn, I missed this time. How about a different trick?"

As he ascended into the ceiling, the red light shot out balls electricity. Sonic had to move fast. He effortlessly avoided them, but had to keep moving, because the pistons seemed to randomly activate. Robotnik, just as randomly, would be inside one of the pistons, laughing his head off.

"Nowhere to run, Sonic! If the electricity doesn't get you, my pistons surely will. I hope I'm inside the one that does you in. It's no use! Give up!"

Sonic was getting fed up. As the pistons activated again, the one closest to him had Robotnik inside. He leapt up, curled into a ball, and struck the piston.

"What in the…?! Oh, very clever, Sonic. Blasted things have to have one flaw. Still, it'll take more than that to stop my beautiful machine!"

It took some skill, but between bobbing and weaving past the pistons, Sonic managed to give Robotnik a few good smacks.

"NO! I won't let it end like this!"

"Sorry, Eggman, but it's time to bring down the house."

With one final hit, the machine started to spark, then smoke, then explode. With that, the walls opened up. There was a tube above a control panel that seemed to be connected to the giant piston machine. Sure enough, Robotnik fell out and made a run for it.

"Is he really trying to outrun me?"

The Eggmobile was just ahead. Robotnik leapt inside, raised the landing gear and took off. Before he could get far, however, Sonic gave the mobile a good hard hit.

"You little…!"

The Eggmobile started to smoke as well, covering Robotnik's face in soot and ash.

"No, no, no! This stupid thing isn't working!"

The mobile swiftly lost altitude, going down into the depths of the slowly collapsing factory, taking Robotnik with it.

"I hate you, Hedgehog!"

"So long, Eggman. Wow, I didn't think I would bring down the whole place this easily. I guess that machine really was important. I wonder…"

Sonic went back to the small control panel. Inside was a silver Chaos Emerald.

"All seven are safe now. So I better beat feet."

**Outside**

Thankfully, getting out was faster than getting in. Sonic was free in no time. He ran all the way back to Green Hill, saying hello to his now free animal friends. When he was a good distance away from the factory, he turned to watch it collapse.

"I guess that's that."

Suddenly, there was a flash of light. The Chaos Emeralds activated. All seven appeared and floated in midair. In another flash of light, they were gone. In their place, a field of flowers sprung up.

"Looks like they've disappeared into new special hiding spots. If anyone tries to use them for the wrong reasons, I'll just have to get them back…however that is. Now that that's settled, I'm getting me a chilidog and a long nap."

**Much later**

A few robots were digging through the wreckage of the factory, when a familiar gloved hand emerged from the rubble.

"Doctor, you're alive."

"Of course I'm alive, you idiot! You think I'd let myself be killed in my own factory's destruction? I had a failsafe for such a thing. I just didn't expect to have to use it. That hedgehog was more trouble than I thought."

"What now, Doctor?"

"Due to the fact that I am a genius with an IQ of 300, I already have an extremely cunning plan in the works. Gather as much scrap as you can. No sense in not saving some money."

"Yes, sir."

"Your new Eggmobile, Doctor."

"Excellent!"

He punched in some calculations on the equipment.

"According to this, in a few months, my plan can commence. Until then we can gather the money and resources we need."

"What is your plan, sir?"

"Never mind. Just find a way to transport these materials."

"Yes, sir."

The robot took off. Robotnik tried to stop himself from laughing, but of course couldn't resist.

"Oh ho ho ho, just you wait, Sonic. This encounter may have been in your favor, but my new invention will be the perfect thing to keep up with you. The event that will set my new plan into motion is right around the corner. By then though, you'll be out of time. OH HO HO HO HO HO HO!"

"Why are talking to yourself, sir?"

"SHUT UP!"


End file.
